West Berkshire · London and the South East
Pre-Purchase Roof Survey in Chilton Foliat
A roof survey before you buy a house or flat in Chilton Foliat, with drones and thermal imaging where they help. Get in touch for a price.
- Gutters that overflow or drip at the joints
- Roof slopes that look uneven or sagging
- Signs of past leaks inside the loft
Chilton Foliat questions
Is Chilton Foliat in the area you cover?
Yes, Chilton Foliat is one of the places we work. Every survey there gets the same written report with photographs, and visits run on weekdays and weekends.
How do I find out if my home in Chilton Foliat is listed?
Start with Historic England’s list for listing and your council for conservation areas. Either can affect what roof work is allowed, so it’s worth checking before planning any.
Do you test for asbestos?
No. Asbestos surveys and testing aren’t part of what we do. We flag materials that could contain asbestos, such as cement sheets or soffits on pre-2000 buildings and suggest a specialist asbestos surveyor checks them before any work.
Can I use the report to negotiate on price?
Yes. You will have photos and a written description of each defect, so you can raise them with the seller or their agent. How the seller responds is up to them.
Which days do you carry out surveys?
Surveys can be booked for any day of the week: weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Just let us know the days that suit you.
I live in a flat. Can you survey the roof?
Yes, as long as access is agreed. Roofs over flats are often shared, so we need permission from the building owner or managing agent. We inspect only the parts we’re allowed to reach.
Does the weather affect the survey?
Some surveys depend on the weather more than others. Drone flights need calm, dry weather, and thermal imaging works best after a sunny day, with a dry roof and little wind. We will rearrange with you if the weather isn’t right.
Pre-purchase roof survey in Chilton Foliat: what you get
With a written roof report, you can go back to the seller or agent with specifics. You might ask about past repairs, ask for work to be done before completion or think again about your offer. We cannot say how a seller will respond, but you will be negotiating from a clear picture rather than a hunch. It can also help you decide whether the purchase is still right for you. We survey clay and concrete tiles, gutters and downpipes and the roof space, and common reasons people get in touch are standing water on a flat extension roof and patch repairs that may hide an ongoing problem.
Older buildings in small places like Chilton Foliat may be listed or in a conservation area. If so, re-roofing in different materials may need consent, so check with the council before work starts. Whether you’re buying or signing off new roofing, it is worth knowing where you stand, as well as what condition the roof is in. There are about 500,000 listed buildings and around 10,000 conservation areas in England.
The report records the roof as we found it on the day. It’s useful straight away, and a good reference for later, for instance when you want to check whether anything has changed.
- Place
- Chilton Foliat (RG17)
- Wider area
- West Berkshire
- Prices
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Reports
- A written report with photos, by email
- Appointments
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- Professional indemnity and public liability
- Telephone
- 07833 053749
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Chilton Foliat
Other services in Chilton Foliat
Pre-purchase roof surveys in Chilton Foliat: local notes
Older houses in the South East frequently have slate or clay tile roofs, while many later estates have concrete tiles, and flat-roofed additions turn up almost everywhere. The covering on a house you’re buying, or on a roof just finished, tells us where to look hardest. If the drone is used for your survey, the flight is checked against the Drone Safety Map first.
Ramsbury Manor, about 4 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Chilton Foliat. Older homes in the area can come with listed status or conservation area rules, which affect re-roofing, so check with the council before you buy. The streets around a church like Church of St Mary are often among the oldest in a place, and if yours is one of the older homes nearby, a survey will show how the roof has been repaired before, which helps you judge what’s coming.
Chilton Foliat is about 10 miles west of Newbury, in West Berkshire. Anywhere in Chilton Foliat, we can carry out pre-purchase roof surveys at your property, on a weekday, Saturday or Sunday. Across West Berkshire, we cover Chilton Foliat. Our Reading page covers surveys nearby.
Surveys in RG17 are booked the same way as anywhere else. We cover properties on Popham Close, Stag Hill and Whitelocks Piece and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Chilton Foliat: Leverton (1 mile south-east), Upper Eddington (1 mile south-east), Eddington (2 miles south-east), Hungerford (2 miles south-east) and Woodlands St Mary (3 miles north). Within a short drive, we also cover Newbury (10 miles east), Thatcham (12 miles east), Speenhamland (9 miles east), Lambourn (5 miles north), Shaw (10 miles east) and Kingsclere (15 miles south-east).
Near you in Chilton Foliat
Typical jobs here are in homes near John O'Gaunt School. The nearest railway station is Hungerford station, roughly 1.7 miles south-east. Green spaces nearby include Watts Bank.
Surveys for landlords and agents in Chilton Foliat
Any of our surveys can be booked by landlords, agents and building managers in Chilton Foliat. To discuss a property or a block, ring 07833 053749 or send us an email.
If you own several properties, surveys can be booked for more than one address. To arrange surveys for several addresses, call 07833 053749 or send us an email.
Roof by roof
Chimney stacks
We inspect the outside of the stack, not a flue, gas or sweep inspection. We’ll say if the flue needs a specialist.
Lead flashings and valleys
Flashings are a common source of leaks, so we check each one closely. We photograph any that need work.
Why it’s worth a survey now in Chilton Foliat
Small roof defects let water in slowly. Damp can spread into timbers and ceilings before anyone sees a mark. Finding the cause at the survey stage lets you deal with it as soon as you move in. Outbuildings and barns around Chilton Foliat are easy to forget, but a failed roof there can spoil what’s stored inside. It’s worth including them in a survey before a winter does the damage.
The cost of a survey depends on the roof: how big it is, how high it is, the number of separate roofs and how it can be reached and seen safely. Pre-purchase roof survey starts from £150, including VAT.
Why book with us
- Over 5,000 surveys carried out
- Clear package prices, including VAT
- An independent look at the roof
- Visits on any day of the week
Take a look at our cost guide and two real surveys.
What we’re asked to look at in Chilton Foliat
Patch repairs are common on roofs of every age. Bitumen painted over a flashing, mortar where lead should be, or a few tiles that do not match can be signs that something has leaked before. We note what we see so you can ask about it.
Problems we come across often include:
- Standing water on a flat extension roof
- Gaps where slates or tiles have come loose
- Cracked flaunching or crumbling chimney pointing
- Old water stains in the loft space
Landlords with a home close to Hungerford station may find that a survey before purchase, or before signing off a new roof, saves surprises once a tenant moves in.
Before booking anyone
- Whether you can ask questions once you have the report
- Whether the inside of the roof is included
- How they’ll see the roof: from ground level, the loft, the roof or by drone
- What insurance they carry
How it works
It helps to start with what’s prompted the survey: a purchase, a leak, a storm, new work or simply peace of mind. That way we can focus on what matters to you. Most visits take about one to two hours on an ordinary house, though large, tall or awkward roofs take more time. Cottages and farmhouses around Chilton Foliat frequently have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can be seen safely, and anything we can’t see is noted.
- Once your offer is accepted, you let us know the address and when you hope to exchange.
- We arrange access with you, the agent or the seller, including the loft.
- The visit begins outside, from ground level and any safe vantage points.
- We then look from upstairs windows and inside the loft where it’s safe.
- You get a written report with photos and recommendations before you exchange.
Before the survey
- Agree roof access with the managing agent if it’s shared
- Let us know about any leaks, stains or damp patches you know of
- Let us know where we can park nearby
Book a survey
Unsure which package suits your roof? It is easiest to ring 07833 053749 or email us and describe the roof and why you want it surveyed. We’ll talk you through the options and what they cost.
Advice
Tips from our surveys
Some practical points come up on survey after survey. They apply to most roofs:
- Ask the seller about past roof repairs
- Ask who repairs the roof under the lease
- Mention any deadline when you contact us
- Arrange the survey as soon as your offer is agreed
Once the home is yours, the report becomes a maintenance list. Work through the urgent items before anything else, and keep the photos to compare against later. The Premium Survey includes a 12-month follow-up.
Keep the loft ventilated. Poor ventilation lets condensation build up, wetting timbers and insulation. Avoid packing insulation into the eaves so tightly that air cannot flow.